Hesitation
by Shining Zephyr
Summary: One conversation, and there was perhaps a chance for the two of them to have a shot at friendship for the first time in four years.


**Hi again. Yes, I am doing a CSI: ** **Miami**** one-shot (like I haven't done enough) and before you yell at me, I want to clear one thing up. I still do not like Rick Stetler. I just want to portray him in a good light for once. **

**I do not own CSI: ** **Miami****. I'd be drowning in money if I did.**

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Hesitation 

The man signed in at the desk, nodding his thanks to the reception, who eyed him with a soft glare. He sighed and rubbed his head, pulling out a bottle of Advil, snapping open the lid and popping a few of the pills into his mouth. Another day, another work load. Another reason to be with Horatio Caine and his intellect group of crime scene investigators who had all gone home for the night, leaving only himself and perhaps the leader in the building. He pushed the button to the elevator, crossing his arms and waiting for the light to turn red for the descending cart. Footsteps were heard from ten feet away as a male with fiery red hair and piercingly blue eyes walked down the corridor in his direction. He chose to stare at the door, which didn't open, the ringing of the floors in his ears. The redhead reached him and looked in his direction. "Busy day, wasn't it, Rick?"

Internal Affairs Sergeant Rick Stetler chose not to answer as he bobbed up and down on the balls of his feet, wishing the elevator would hurry up. He simply nodded, shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal. 'Wish the elevator would come faster,' he thought.

"Not one for talking right now?"

Rick looked at the older CSI:, who stood waiting as well, fingering his sunglasses. Despite the fact it was nine at night, he figured he might be able to use them sometime or another that night. "What's there to talk about, Horatio?" he asked quietly.

Lieutenant Horatio Caine shrugged. "Maybe about the work week in general. You've been awfully quiet this week."

"Stop it."

Silence followed this remark. Rick straightened up slightly, his right hand unconsciously slipping into his pocket. Horatio raised an eyebrow, noting this gesture and shifted his position, the tile floor making a slight creaking noise. He knew Rick was usually hostile and overprotective of his job, the department, and the lab in general. It was in his nature as an Internal Affairs agent, wasn't it? He constantly brooded to the lab, took out anger on him, sympathized with him… but this, coming from someone who hit his sister-in-law, was a bit much. "Excuse me?"

Rick finally tore his eyes away from the elevator door, his forest green eyes boring into Horatio's sky blue ones. "I told you, stop it."

"Stop what?"

Rick sighed and rubbed the back of his head again with his left hand. The Advil hadn't kicked in yet. "Listen. I want to know something about you, Horatio. Is there something you see in me that I can't find in myself besides your acidic hatred of my guts because of Yelina? Is it too much effort to ask you why in the world you can't accept me for who I am right now and quit living off of the past?"

The lieutenant was quiet at this, looking down at the dots on the floor and smiling to himself. "Why can't I accept you? Why bring Yelina into this, Rick? She has no preservation to the story in any way at all."

"Look at you," Rick told him, not in a friendly sense, but there was no trace of anger in his tone. "Horatio, it's been a year or two since I've seen or heard from her, and you're acting like you see her every single day. And still…"

Horatio's voice sounded weary as the elevator door opened, both stepping inside and the lieutenant pressing the button to the ground floor. "You don't know how true you are, my friend."

Rick merely blinked. "What?"

"She's in Miami again."

The force of these words hit him like a bullet to the chest. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just wish… I just wish you would give me a chance to explain myself to you.

"It's hard to do this job, Horatio. There are things you have to do that I swear on my deathbed you would absolutely hate doing. _You_ try investigating your colleagues and making sure you uphold the law like any one else could do. No one wants my job, Horatio. Every day, I get offered a promotion into higher ground, but I don't accept it. Horatio, your team means almost everything to me. _You_ mean almost everything to me. I really wish you and I could be friends again, but you keep pushing me away. Is there anything- _anything_ that I can do to earn that trust back?"

Horatio didn't speak. Finally, he told the agent softly, "Possibly. You actually sound like you care."

Rick smirked slightly. "And if I do?"

"Stop acting like it."

He looked confused. "What?"

Horatio looked at Rick, his eyes full of sadness. "Look, I know you want to be friends and everything, but that time has passed. You've done some things in your life that have grated my nerves enough to smack you in the lab. You've said some things that have made me want to lock you in the broom cupboard down the hall. Hell, you've tried consoling me at crime scenes and you don't even know what I went through. Why are you acting like you're sorry for what's happened to me when you don't even know about half the stuff I've been through?"

The Internal Affairs sergeant willed himself to stay calm. "Because you don't tell me about anything. If I knew what was going on in your life…"

"…we wouldn't be having this conversation," the redhead finished, the doors to the elevator opening. He stepped out into the downstairs lobby, as did his companion. "So start asking and quit telling me what to do with my life."

With this, he walked out the door and turned around to face his so-called archenemy, whose mouth was agape. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment and walked back to Rick, who raised an eyebrow. The headache was disappearing at least.

Horatio suddenly embraced the Internal Affairs sergeant in a quick hug, who was too stunned to say anything. He let go a couple of second later, Rick standing there and looking utterly confused. "What was that for?"

Horatio turned around, offering him one last word before making his way to the Hummer. "For saying you care about me."

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**-hides- I think I have lost it. Sanity has disappeared. How was this? –hands out scythe- If you want to cut my head off, that's fine. Reviews are appreciated. Much love and thanks for reading. **


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